The best "tool" I have found to start planning my quilts is called Ladies Art Company Block Tool, [ATTACH=CONFIG]321674[/ATTACH]
these cards have 160+ blocks, does the math for you and shows how to put each piece together to make the block. After you choose however many blocks you like then you use your graph paper or EQ to design your quilt. http://www.amazon.com/Rediscovered-C.../dp/1571209859 if you check this out you can look thru the cards and get an idea of what I'm trying to explain. Good luck...and have fun!!

I wholeheartedly agree with this suggestion. I have 2 big tablets of graph paper, and I have even drafted my own versions of quilts I see in pictures elsewhere. I don't do exact copies, but always do some elements different. Using the graph paper you can get things to line up properly, but you actually do still need some basic math. But it's easy as counting on your fingers this way!!

Fiddlesticks!! My mom learned to quilt at age 83, and had never made a quilt in her life!! Shame! 57? You are in a very exciting time of your life....you should be learning something new every day!!

jcrow--Rodale Press had a series of books on all basic aspects of quilting. what's nice about them is that they enable one to be independent of others' patterns and instructions. I bought them at 1/3 cost through ER Hamilton, Bookseller, but perhaps they're available used at Amazon etc. Or at the library. good luck --nanibi

Before I got a computer quilt program, I used graph paper. I now have an EQ program, but still use graph paper. I keep a small graph paper notebook near my bed. When an idea comes to me during the night, I am ready to design my thoughts. Graph paper is economical and comes in many size blocks, even hexagon shapes. I have downloaded some sheets from online for free. You can design the quilt or block, make copies and color the copies. Good luck, it's fun to design your own quilts.

i think the first one I made.Jacobs's ladder I followed the design etc. Now I look at a pattern and redesign it to what I like.

And me at 74?

I have a problem with patterns. I start out with the basics of the pattern and have really good intensions of following the instructions. Honest I do. But somewhere between reading and doing, I mess up so bad that the quilt never resembles what it should when I am done. So I quit using patterns except for suggestions.

I like the quit beating your self up if you are not creating your own. Everyone needs to be comfortable with what they like to do.

If you want to try something on your own, maybe just pick a block from one of your patterns and draw it on graft paper, color it, paste it to some cardboard, and cut on the lines and cut out all different pieces. Now play with the pieces to see how many new blocks you can create from the pieces of that one block. When you are happy with an arrangement of the pieces, copy to graft paper and start designing your quilt. This way you know the size of the pieces as you have the original pattern size. And most quilts are made up of common blocks that can be used by anyone.
Hope this helps.

Way back when I was learning to quilt, I had to learn to use 1/4" graph paper to draft all my blocks. Yes, it takes a lot of time, but then you are fearless about figuring out patterns. Jinny Beyer has a book about drafting as does Donna Poster. Look at those books and you will see that using graph paper and drafting is not all that scary. Good luck.

Never too old to learn anything....At 62 I started studying martial arts. Some people thought it was either odd or funny. I fooled them all and just after my 71st birthday passed my black belt test. Took me longer than some, but I did it. So jump right in there and learn. I know there are places for people to learn how to use a computer. NEVER EVER SAY ....NEVER....OR I CAN'T......